Nicole Phipps

For my Public Health Trends assignment, I wanted to find out more about health trends in Utah County, since this is where I will be living for the next few years to complete my schooling. I had the opportunity to talk to Eric Edwards, the Division Director of Health Promotion for the Utah County Health Department. He gave me very interesting information on the trends occurring in Utah County. They were interesting because some of the trends were positive.

The first and most influential trend Eric mentioned was the social determinants of health. Poverty, education, access to health care and transportation, and even where someone lives geographically can greatly impact a person’s health. This is a really important trend to recognize because it is most responsible for health inequalities. These social determinants shape the health status world on who gets the help they need. It is important for the public to recognize this because it is the most “unfair” health trend.

Another health trend mentioned was tobacco use. This is an interesting trend because Utah is among the lowest rates of tobacco use in the United States. However, it is the leading cause of preventable death in this community. The Utah County Health Department has taken prevention measures to combat this. Efforts include educating the community about health risks through media efforts, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, and policies that reduce public exposure to second hand smoke. Eric mentioned that clinicians talking to their patients about quitting tobacco use has been one of the most effective ways to help people quit. Health issues regarding tobacco use can be very dangerous, but are very preventable.

The increase of obesity rates is another health trend occurring in Utah County as well as in the United States. It is increasing in people of all ages. This is particularly concerning for younger kids. They are seeing an increase of kids developing Type 2 diabetes, a disease that used to be referred to as “Adult Onset Diabetes” because it typically only occurred in adults. This is due to poor diet and lifestyles. In addition to an increase in diabetes, obesity is one of the causes on other chronic diseases, such as heart disease. This is another very preventable health concern. The community just needs to take action against it.

The next health trend discussed was injuries. Injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for people ages 1-45. Most injury deaths are from automobile accidents with about half caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Utah County has taken measures to prevent these types of injuries. Efforts to increase seat belt use and bicycle helmet use have been underway to protect those on the road. Besides automobile accidents, elderly people falling is a big cause of injuries in Utah County.

The final health trend we talked about was prescription drug abuse. This is a huge problem in several communities throughout Utah. It has reached near epidemic levels. Eric explained that the Utah County Substance Abuse prevention team is working to decrease deaths associated with this issue. However, a lot more needs to be done to help solve this issue. 

All of these health trends are preventable and the Utah County Health Promotion team is working hard to combat them. The biggest thing is to make people aware of the issues to take action against them.